


one more day (just like this one)

by lilaliacs



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: ATLA/LoK AU, Bolin!jeno, MOST IMPORTANTLY, Multi, actually entirely a lok au, all fun and games, asami!jaemin AND hyunjin bv theyre cool like that, korra!hyuck, mako!heejin, pabu!seol, running from responsibility
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:20:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23297671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilaliacs/pseuds/lilaliacs
Summary: After the success of AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, THE LEGEND OF SICHENG now the riveting sequel exclusively on Nickelodeon!Follow the next Avatar in his adventures through responsibility, friendship and love, this Tuesday at 6 in THE LEGEND OF HAECHAN!
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Originally I had a much more complicated and convoluted plot in mind for this, much more like the actual lok storyline, but then I thought if I want my head to hurt I just gotta put on the news so!! have fun!!

All in all, the city isn’t as bad as Donghyuck always believed. Granted, Taeyong had always hated the city, and all his stories he shared of living there were followed with a resigned _”Thank God that’s over now”_ and his parents never visited the city and had no stories to share. 

But as Donghyuck makes his way away from the water and towards the heart of the city, light reflects off of window fronts, the cobblestone beneath his feet is a warm sandy brown, he can hear the noise of street vendors and the breeze still smells slightly salty, slightly like the sea he knows. Republic City is busy, but not suffocatingly crowded like Taeyong had said, rather it is bustling with life. People are hurrying past him without giving him as much as a glance, not because they’re particularly rude but because they have somewhere to be, and they don’t know who he is. 

A smile steals itself onto Donghyuck’s lips. Nobody knows who he is. Behind him, the ship that brought him to Republic City is unloading its last bits of cargo, soon to return to the Southern Watertribe, without him. They hadn’t known he was there to begin with. A life of being closely watched and fussed over by his parents, military officials and trainers had taught him the important skill of stealth. 

Shortly, he thinks that Taeyong must have woken up some hours ago, and that his mentor is probably this close to losing his mind. Then he remembers that he is 19 years old now, not a small child anymore that Taeyong has to keep safe. He can take care of himself, and if Taeyong can’t understand that, then that’s his problem. 

Donghyuck ducks into an alleyway and doesn’t turn back to the sea again. 

Ahead of him he can see the rooftop of the bending arena glinting in the sunlight and giddy excitement fills his gut. He doesn’t think about why, what for, or how exactly he is going to get into the building but right now, he knows that he has to. He can worry about everything else later. 

* * *

Jeno didn’t particularly wake up with the plan to take in potential delinquents that might also be murderers on the run today. In fact he woke up with a headache, and no motivation to do anything at all today. They couldn’t even train because Mark hadn’t shown up for three days in a row and without their waterbender, there is no point in training. But Heejin had forced him to get up, entirely ignoring that she was the reason for his terrible headache because she had thought it necessary to give him a concussion the day before in training. 

“You don’t have a concussion,” She insists, setting down a bowl of porridge in front of him. The bowl is slightly scorched near the bottom, and Jeno _knows_ she used bending to cook it, even though their landlord had told them to not set the building on fire again, but all he can do is pick up a spoon and grumble incomprehensibly. _That’s_ how his day started. 

He wouldn’t say this is an improvement, really, but it’s something. 

“Thank you,” The boy repeats as Jeno closes the door to their apartment behind him. 

You can’t really call it an apartment. It’s an attic at the very top of the building’s old west wing. The rest of the enormous arena had been renovated over the years, and their landlord keeps telling them the same would happen to the west wing soon, but for the past five years Jeno and Heejin have been dealing with leaky roofs in the winter and unbearable heat in the summer and they have little hope that will ever change. 

It’s the summer and Jeno hurries to open a creaky window to let in at least some semblance of fresh air, as the boy looks around with wide eyes. 

“Wait, you _live_ here? You live in the Republic City bending arena?”

Jeno is taken a little off-guard with this question. “Well… In its attic,” He replies, slowly. 

The boy looks like he wants to say something else, but something on the couch catches his attention. “Oh, goodness, _Hi!_ ” He all but squeaks. Jeno can see Seol’s head peek out from under a bunch of laundry that neither he nor his sister had been motivated to put away in the past week or so. She meows in confusion as the boy plucks her out of her nest and into his lap with wide eyes. “What _are_ you?”

“She’s a cat,” Jeno replies. He feels kind of dumb standing in the middle of his living room, while this complete stranger is fussing about his cat. 

“A ferret-cat?” The boy asks. Jeno shakes his head, so he follows up: “A panda-cat then?” Again, Jeno shakes his head but cuts the boy off before he can ask more. “She’s just a cat.” 

The boy’s eyes grow impossibly wider. Seol seems to have accepted her fate, starting to purr on his lap, and with the way he settles into the cushions like he already lives here, Jeno guesses he should accept his fate as well. 

* * *

“As I’ve been saying, I think this city is a godless place,” Hyunjin says conversationally as she takes off her seatbelt. Jaemin thinks he might have a heart-attack. 

“You just nearly killed someone,” He gives back. 

“Yeah, well, who’s fault is that?” Hyunjin turns to him. 

“Yours,” He deadpans. She shakes her head in exasperation, as if that is the dumbest thing she’s ever heard. “It’s either yours, for letting me drive your car, or that girl’s for just crossing the street like that.” 

“You blackmailed me into letting you drive and the light was red,” Jaemin says, again, with no inflection in his voice whatsoever. He really needs to ask his father if they can send Hyunjin back home as soon as possible. 

His cousin just waves him off and finally starts moving again, opening the door and getting out as if she has all the time in the world. Jaemin’s body jump-starts into action and within what feels like seconds he’s on the street and crouching down next to the girl who is sitting up and blinking at him in confusion. 

“I’m so sorry,” He starts. “Are you okay? My cousin doesn’t know these streets well— ” 

Hyunjin snorts above them. “Yeah, right, that’s the reason.” 

Jaemin suppresses a glare and asks again: “Are you okay?” 

Instead of replying, the girl blinks at him some more. Then she states: “You’re Na Jaemin.” 

“See, she can talk, she’s fine. Can we go now?” Hyunjin has yet to spare the girl one glance. Jaemin _really_ wants to convince his father to cut her visit short. 

“Can you get up?” He addresses the girl, ignoring both the recognition in her eyes and Hyunjin huffing repeatedly. The girl does seem fine, getting up without much of a problem, and not looking injured except for a scratch on her cheek. Jaemin holds on to her arm anyways, more out of courtesy than to steady her. 

“I’m fine,” The girl finally says. “It was an accident, I guess.” 

Jaemin’s mind reels to come up with something to say to that before Hyunjin goes and blurts something embarrassing again, but he isn’t quick enough. From the corner of his eye he can see her take a step forward. 

“What’s your name?” She asks, and, well, so far so good, that’s not as terrible as it could have been... “Are you single?” 

Nevermind. 

The girl blinks at her. Jaemin takes his hand off her arm to bring it up to his face. 

“Heejin,” The girl says, slowly. “And, uh… Yes?” 

“Well, Heejin,” Hyunjin says, and suddenly Jaemin is painfully reminded of the fact that they are related because her tone of voice is exactly the same he uses on club bouncers sometimes when his last name isn’t enough to get him onto the VIP floor. “I’m terribly sorry for all of this. I’ll _have_ to make it up to you.” 

Heejin’s eyes widen. “Oh, no, that’s fine, like I said, it was an accide— ”

“Nonsense!” Hyunjin shakes her head and gives her a smile. “Be at the Jade Dragon, tomorrow at eight. I’ll be waiting for you.” 

Jaemin hasn’t yet dared to peek at this train-wreck of a conversation, but he can hear the still evident confusion in Heejin’s voice when she replies: “I… don’t have anything near nice enough to wear to that place.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Hyunjin assures her. The next moment, Jaemin can feel her cursed iron grip on his forearm and he is hauled in the direction of his car. “Tomorrow, eight PM!” Hyunjin calls over her shoulder with an honest-to-god wink. 

Back in the car, all he can do is stare at Hyunjin in disbelief. 

“What?” She asks. “She’s pretty. And you don’t want word getting around that a member of your family nearly killed an unsuspecting citizen, right?” 

“Right,” Jaemin nods, incredulous. “Because you give a damn about the reputation of this family.” 

And Hyunjin just laughs and steps on the accelerator. 

* * *

When Renjun gets to the dining hall, Kun looks like he has been pacing the length of the room for hours. Kahei is sitting in a chair, following Kun’s trajectory with her eyes. Neither of them offer him either a greeting or an explanation. 

He clears his throat and regrets it a second later because Kun flinches so hard that he nearly trips and falls. The frown on his face seems to be nearly embedded in the blue arrow tattooed on his forehead. 

“I’m losing my mind,” He says, and nothing else. Even when Renjun gives him another few seconds, there is no follow up, but Kun apparently takes his silence as lack of understanding, so he repeats, with more vigour: “I’m _losing_ my _mind_!”

“I can see that,” Renjun nods. “Why?” 

That’s when Kahei finally speaks up. “He lost the Avatar.”

“How do you lose a whole Avatar?” Renjun asks, at the same time that Kun screeches: “I didn’t lose him!”

“Well, you don’t know where he is,” Kahei says, to Kun. To Renjun, she explains: “Apparently he left a note to the officials at the South Pole, saying that Kun asked for him to start his Airbending training, and that’s the last anyone has heard of him. As you can see, he isn’t here.” 

“Okay,” Renjun nods. 

“Renjun, the _Avatar_ is _missing_.” Kun emphasises. “Can you show a little more distress?” 

Renjun shrugs. “I mean, I can see how that isn’t ideal, but what are we supposed to do about it?”

Kun runs a hand over his face. “We should set out to find him. What if something happens to him? What if something already happened to him?” 

“I think that’s more a job for the police,” Renjun chances. “And he’s the Avatar, I think he should be capable of standing his ground. He’s been training since he was like, what, five years old?” 

All Kun does in reply to that is release a drawn out whine that makes him seem much younger than he is. Kahei gets up to pat him on the shoulder in what she probably thinks is comfort, but to Renjun just looks kind of condescending. He meets eyes with her and they both shrug simultaneously. 

Somehow, Renjun has a strange feeling about this. Like this whole thing is going to come back to bite him in the ass. Kun wails again. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

“So, just so I’m understanding that correctly: You walk in on Changmin as he is trying to throw a random dude you have never seen before out of our training room, and your first course of action is not only to lie to Changmin, the man who lets us stay here for free, but also to let this random dude you have never seen before into our home?” Heejin stares at Jeno. 

Jeno stares back. “Yes,” He simply says. “And just so _I_ understand correctly: You get into a car crash but instead of dying you get out without a scratch and a date with _Na Jaemin’s cousin_?” 

“I do have scratch!” Heejin protests, pointing to her face. “And it’s not a date! She’s just doing it to apologise for nearly killing me.”

“She’s buying you clothes,” Donghyuck chirps. His voice comes out a little unclear because he is currently stuffing his face with fire flakes that, according to Heejin’s glare, were originally hers. 

“You don’t get a part in this conversation, usurper” She hisses in his direction. “You’re probably a burglar. Or a murderer.”

“His name is _Donghyuck_ ,” Jeno cuts in. “And, you know, maybe not every person you don’t know is a murderer.” Donghyuck is really growing fond of this guy.

“Until they are!” Heejin throws her hands up. 

“ _Maybe_ he’s just a kid without a family to go home to who needs a place to stay,” Jeno insists, crossing his arms in front of his chest and raising his eyebrows. “Sound familiar?” 

Heejin sighs. “I hate when you bring up our tragic past to guilt me into being a decent person.” 

“Someone has to,” Jeno shrugs.

“What do you mean, ‘tragic past’?” Donghyuck asks again. 

“None of your business!” Heejin hisses again. 

“We’ll tell you another time,” Jeno says, much gentler. 

Donghyuck mulls that over, shrugs and moves on to the next question. “What do you do here anyways?” 

“We live here,” Heejin grumbles. It’s slightly more conversational than anything else she has said to him yet, but it’s also emphasised by her turning her back to Donghyuck and demonstratingly walking over to the kitchenette in the corner of the room. 

“That much is obvious,” Donghyuck nods. “But you just said that the hot angry dude lets you stay here for free, and this is the bending arena, so… What’s up with that?” 

“What’s up with _you_?” Heejin bristles. 

Jeno ignores her. “We train and compete here, and in turn for a percentage of the winnings and some housekeeping, Changmin lets us stay in the attic.”

Donghyuck gapes at both of them. “You _compete_ in pro-bending tournaments?!”

Donghyuck watches intent as the tips of Jeno’s ears slowly turn red under his undivided attention. Jeno brings a hand up to scratch at his neck and nods. “Yeah, we’re on a team and stuff…” 

Donghyuck all but scrambles out of his seat. “Which one?!”

“We _were_ the Calicos,” Heejin says curtly from the kitchen. 

“Don’t be so negative,” Jeno says, seeming more like a reflex than a genuine reprimand, and it’s drowned out by Donghyuck anyways. 

“The _Calicos_?!” He screeches and really does scramble out of his seat now to stand in between them and look in between them at truly worrisome speed. “I heard about you on the radio!”

“Congratulations,” Heejin deadpans. “So have most people.” 

Donghyuck starts laughing. “I can’t believe the Calicos’ fire bender is being rude to me,” He snorts. “This is amazing.”

Heejin narrows her eyes. “The Calicos’ fire bender is going to set your pants on fire if you don’t watch out,” She threatens. 

Donghyuck’s laugh morphs into a smirk. “I’d like to see you try.” Before Heejin can give something back or Jeno can try to diffuse the situation, he tacks on: “But what do you mean you _were_ the Calicos? Isn’t there a tournament coming up?” 

“She’s just being dramatic,” Jeno waves off. 

“Tell that to Changmin when he asks for our training progress,” Heejin mumbles darkly, and louder, but just as dull: “Our waterbender has been ghosting us for a week.”

“I’m sure Mark has a good reason—”

“I don’t care for his reasons!” Heejin interrupts her brother. “I care that he is leaving us hanging without an explanation when he knows we can’t afford it!”

Over some well-placed questions, mostly useful information from Jeno and thinly veiled insults from Heejin, Donghyuck learns that Mark comes from a much different situation than the twins, his grandfather being one of Republic City’s very first entrepreneurs, with connection to all important names of the city’s industry. Jung, Nakamoto, Na, Jo, all of them trying to imitate the rise to power that Lee Sooman had managed two generations ago. 

“Mark’s family don’t appreciate his choice in hobbies,” Jeno says. 

“I’m pretty sure his mother wishes she choked him with the silver spoon she fed him with as a baby,” Heejin puts it. 

Jeno continues: “They never thought about letting him train his bending, and neither had Mark until he ran into us.” 

“Ran into _you_ ,” Heejin emphasises. “I had nothing to do with this.” 

“What happened?” Donghyuck asks. This is the most entertained he’s been in _weeks_. 

“Jeno has a knack for adopting strays,” Heejin starts, pointing vaguely at Seol across the room on Jeno’s lap, then throwing an obvious glance at Donghyuck himself before picking back up: “Even when said strays could buy our life three times over.” 

“I promise you I cannot do that,” Donghyuck assures her. 

“Thank the heavens,” Heejin rolls her eyes. 

Jeno uses her lapse in continuity to take over the story-telling. “Mark had just moved here from a boarding school near Ba Sing Se, and he got lost, so I offered him a place to stay for the night. You know, like a decent person?” He throws a pointed look Heejin’s way.

She just rolls her eyes again. “Sure. It had nothing to do with the fact that you thought he was the love of your life for like the first few weeks.”

She goes ignored by all but Jeno’s ears, turning back to a bright shade of scarlet. 

“ _Anyways_ , he hung around a lot and we started training and we didn’t have a waterbender so he offered to help us out, his parents never liked it and they probably locked him up in their million dollar mansion by now, The End,” He rushes out. 

Donghyuck doesn’t expect it, but Heejin lets him off the hook and claps her hands. “Point is, we will be disqualified from the tournament, won’t get any winnings, Changmin will throw us back out and we will probably die in the streets.”

At some point during their story, Donghyuck had buried his fingers back into Seol’s fur and her purring is the only thing that fills the room for a moment. “Well, that sounds… like you got yourself in somewhat of a pickle.” Is what he ends up settling on. 

Heejin lifts up a pot she had just gotten from a cabinet high above her head, as if to hurl it at Donghyuck’s general person. “Jeno, I want him out of my house.” 

“You’re being _terrible_ ,” Jeno emphasises in reply, but he doesn’t seem very perturbed by it. With a finger pointed at Donghyuck he says: “You’re not wrong.” 

“And we don’t want your pity,” Heejin tacks on, but she has put down the pot. 

“Mark has never missed a match, no matter how annoying his mother was being,” Jeno explains, and for a moment Donghyuck feels the mighty urge to coo at Jeno’s endearing naivety, but then he realises that the look in his new friend’s eyes is one of genuine conviction. “So he’s going to be there, and we’re still training. It’s just not the same if you don’t have the whole team to prepare with.” 

Heejin seems to occupied with sorting through several cabinets to throw in another disdainful comment. “We can only ever train two thirds of a tactic and hope that Mark somehow psychically knows what we’re planning and trains on his own.” 

Jeno nods, his smile slightly defeated. 

“Is it an important match?” Donghyuck asks carefully. 

It seems to remind Heejin of his presence because she goes right back to scoffing. “Only the most important one of our entire careers.”

“It’s the Kwon Tournament,” Jeno provides. 

“The _president_ will be there.” Heejin emphasises and starts hacking away at a weird looking vegetable with far too much force than necessary. “We will embarrass ourselves in front of _Jung Yunho_. If we don’t get disqualified before we even get to the court because Mrs. Lee has Mark locked up inside the golden cage in her living room.”

Her brother makes no move to correct her overt pessimism and when Donghyuck looks back at him, his smile still doesn’t quite reach his eyes. 

For a moment, he focuses back on Seol on his lap. She reminded him a lot of a little Seal-Lynx he had found many years ago while hiding from one of Taeyong’s meditating sessions. He had spent the afternoon walking along the length of their village, where it cuts off into the icy tundra, trying to locate the little thing’s family, huddling it close for warmth even though its fur had evidently been much thicker than his jacket. 

His parents and Taeyong had found him as he sat a little to the side, happily watching the little one play with its siblings. He replied to their scolding by pointing at the babies rolling around in the snow. “I couldn’t just leave her alone!” He’d told them. “She needed me!” 

“We know you didn’t mean any harm,” His mother had replied, much more gentle now. “But you could have gotten hurt, or lost, and none of us would have been there to help you.” 

“I can take care of myself,” Donghyuck had sniffed. 

It’s risky. Donghyuck doesn’t want to begin to count the risks he would have to take. Jeno and Heejin seem like they have been through much worse than what lays ahead of them, but somehow, Donghyuck can’t bring himself to stay quiet before he blurts out: “I’m a waterbender.” 

When all he gets back is silent stares, he adds: “Because, you kinda need one right now. To train.” Seol meows. “And, well, you didn’t rat me out to your landlord for breaking in and you haven’t kicked me out of your house yet, at least not ultimately, and… Uh.” 

Donghyuck doesn’t usually get nervous, it’s just not in his blood. When he brings it up, Taeyong rolls his eyes and suggests another meditation to get more into touch with his emotions. But Donghyuck is as in touch with them as he wants to be, and nervous just is not one of them. 

It’s an entirely new emotion, he finds, entirely worse than nerves, when you’re sitting in a spacious studio apartment, the only noise being a cat’s incessant purring and a pot of stew nearly boiling over as two unconventionally attractive people are staring at you in varying levels of disbelief. 

“We can just pretend I never said anything,” He offers in a mumble. “Heejin, your stew,” He adds a little louder, trying to diffuse the situation as much as he can. His next course of action is focussing all of his attention back on Seol’s colourful fur and not look away until he is asked to leave, but a hand on his wrist destroys his plan. 

He hadn’t even noticed Jeno coming closer until he looks up and meets his eyes again, still wide and unbelieving. Before Donghyuck can ask, Jeno says: “You would do that?” 

It’s on Donghyuck to blink now. “Do you know how many people would die to train with a pro-bending team?” He asks, incredulously. He isn’t actually sure if it’s a lot of people, he just knows that _he_ would, and it’s slightly embarrassing to him that he is only becoming aware of this prospect now. Years of dreaming to be able to stand in the Republic City arena, and when he finally sees an opening, he suggests taking it not out of selfish desire, but altruistic instinct. How lame. Taeyong would be delighted. 

Before Jeno can say anything else, a tray with three full bowls is set down on the coffee table in front of them and one of them is lifted up way too close to Donghyuck’s face for his liking. It smells delicious. 

“You start tomorrow, usurper,” Heejin says. Through the steam, Donghyuck thinks he sees her smirk at him. 

* * *

“I miss Mark,” Jeno pants as his back hits the floor of the training hall. 

“No, you don’t,” Heejin shoots back, but her snark is lost in her own breathlessness. “You miss that Mark is a kind person not dead-set on killing us.” 

“I’m not set on killing you,” Donghyuck complains. “You’re just slow.” He looks like he has barely just broken a sweat and his grin is way too bright. Jeno really, really misses Mark. 

“Maybe we should take a break,” Donghyuck suggests cheerily. “It’s about lunch time anyways.” 

Heejin sits upright at that. “It is?!”

Donghyuck points at the clock mounted up on the wall, then smirks: “Why? Late for your date?” 

For a second Heejin looks like she wants to throw the cup of water she had just grabbed at Donghyuck’s head. She resorts to just glaring. Jeno thinks that if the way his own muscles are burning is any kind of indication, she probably just doesn’t have the energy to lift her arm. 

“How many is that now?” Donghyuck asks. “Three? Four? Jeno?” 

“Four,” Jeno breathes, too tired to care about the chances of coming out alive from turning against his sister. Donghyuck could take her for him, he figures. 

“The first one didn’t even count,” Heejin hisses. 

“Because Na Jaemin was there, cockblocking?” Donghyuck chuckles, at the same time Jeno notes: “You’re not denying they’re dates.” 

Heejin just looks at them for a long, drawn-out moment. She is still slightly breathless, her hair is mussed with sweat and a strand seems to be permanently across her red face. It looks really dumb, yet the unbridled rage in her eyes wakes some sort of primal terror within Jeno that can only stem from a sibling’s anger. 

“The day you broke into our apartment,” Heejin starts in Donghyuck’s direction, menacingly leveled, “was the worst day of my life.” All she deems Jeno worthy of is another glare and a hissed “Traitor,” before she rushes out of the training hall. 

“Love has been so great for her,” Donghyuck chirps, striding up to Jeno and holding a hand out to help him up “She is practically _glowing_.”

Jeno snorts as he grabs Donghyuck’s hand. It had been two weeks since Heejin had nearly been killed and subsequently been invited to dinner by one of the richest people currently residing in Republic City. Jeno hasn’t yet met Kim Hyunjin, daughter of Kim Soojin (neé Na Soojin) and niece of Na Sanghoon, the most successful entrepreneur in motorised transportation in the entire world. This morning though, he had walked in on Heejin humming happily over her coffee, eyes trained on an ornate bouquet of flowers that had been delivered to the arena’s very confused housekeeper yesterday. 

Donghyuck is right. 

“Of course I am,” Donghyuck exclaims when Jeno tells him as much. “I’m amazing at reading people, it’s one of my many skills.” 

“As someone who has that many skills, shouldn’t you have better things to do than kicking our asses and eating our food all day?” Jeno quips before he can stop himself. It sounds a little more judgemental than he is comfortable with, even if he doesn’t mean one bit of it. 

Donghyuck has been living with them for two weeks, Seol generously having granted him access to share her sleeping-spot — The couch— with him, and that has been mostly where he has been ever since he showed up, when he hasn’t been giving the twins a run for their money in training. 

His waterbending skills are unlike anything Jeno has ever seen before. Yet, when they ask where he learned it, Donghyuck is quick to shrug off the question. In fact, they know little to nothing about him, other than the fact that he is from the Southern Watertribe, and came to Republic City for a _much needed change in scenery_. 

So, Jeno’s question isn’t judgemental in any way, he is just getting morbidly curious. 

“There is _nothing_ I’d rather be doing than kick your ass, Lee Jeno,” Donghyuck quips back with batting eyelashes. 

It’s nothing to blush about by a long shot, yet Jeno has to actively ignore the heat rising to his cheeks. “You’re deflecting again,” He mumbles, ignoring Donghyuck’s smug grin. 

Donghyuck laughs, bright and loud, and sidles up to Jeno to throw an arm around his shoulder. “The answer to your question is: No, I don’t have anything better to do. I’m not from here, I’d probably just get lost on some other private property and another pretty boy would have to save my ass.” He squeezes the junction of Jeno’s shoulder and his neck. “And I quite like the one I have right now.” 

Jeno is still hellbent on pretending the now undeniable blush sitting high on his cheeks isn’t there as he blurts out: “I could show you around.” 

“What?” Donghyuck looks at him with wide eyes as if the idea is something entirely unusual. 

“Well, you said you needed a change in scenery and the only scenery you really got so far is our living room. And I know my way around, I’ve lived here my entire life, there’s some really cool spots I’m sure you would like. If you want to. That is.” 

Donghyuck is still gaping at him. “You… You really don’t have to do that. I mean, the tournament is coming up and— “

“We can’t train anyways with Heejin gone,” Jeno throws in, but he’s getting the impression that Donghyuck is trying to let him down easy. He doesn’t even quite know what he’s being let down from. 

“It’s awfully sunny,” Donghyuck tries again. “My skin is very sensitive, it burns very easily.” 

Even without knowing how unusually tan Donghyuck is for having grown up at the Southpole, Jeno could tell it’s a lie from just his voice. 

“It’s fine if you don’t want to,” He falls in gently. “I just didn’t want you to feel lonely all day up there, or get bored.” 

Donghyuck’s slightly panicked gaze grows softer then. “I’m not lonely, Seol is great company! I quite like the little hideout the two of us have up there.” 

_Hideout_. It’s clearly a joke, a way to make light of the weird kind of tension of the conversation. But Jeno wonders if there might be truth to it, if Donghyuck really is hiding. 

When they started to train, Donghyuck was very adamant about this being temporary, only until Mark comes back, only to repay them their generous hospitality. (Heejin had scoffed.) His reaction had been similar when Jeno suggested he should start a pro team of his own, with how good he was, quick to brush it off and change the subject. He hasn’t shared anything about himself. 

Donghyuck is busying himself with unwrapping the ace bandages around his hands they wear in training, rolling them up way neater than necessary, his whole attention on such a miniscule task. 

Jeno doesn’t want to pry. Even though he has virtually no reason to, he trusts Donghyuck, and if the other has motivation for staying hidden with Jeno’s cat, than he trusts that motivation too. 

He doesn’t even realise he is still watching Donghyuck until he meets his gaze and sighs. 

“Alright, stop looking at me like that.” 

Jeno makes a confused noise at the back of his throat. “Like what?” 

“Like— Like an Icebear-Puppy who wants treats,” Donghyuck huffs. “Fine! I’ll go out with you!”

Jeno makes another noise and Donghyuck’s eyes snap back to him. “Not— I don’t— I’ll go _outside_ with you, is what I— “ He closes his eyes for a long moment and sighs. “Tonight. When it’s dark. I want to see the city lights.” He presses out and then he throws the carefully rolled bandages into a corner and powerwalks out of the training hall. 

Jeno wonders when he will stop blushing. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Jaemin thinks that his cousin nearly running someone over might be the best thing that ever happened to him. 

If Hyunjin had never ignored every traffic law, she wouldn’t have met Heejin, and wouldn’t be continuously asking her on very obvious dates. Jaemin would still be left babysitting his cousin all day, and would have to give up his precious alone time. He wouldn’t have gone for a drive this afternoon, wouldn’t have visited the dumpling restaurant he is sitting in right now and wouldn’t have met the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. 

The boy is glaring at him, but it does nothing to take away from his beauty. 

“So what’s your name?” Jaemin asks for the second time. He’s convinced the boy just didn’t hear him the first time he asked. When the silence gets a little too long, he tacks on: “And what brings you to the city?” 

The glare deepens at that. “I live here,” The boy hisses. 

“Well, not _here_ here,” Jaemin chuckles. “We don’t really see you guys here often, if it isn’t for an official visit by Firelord Joohyun or something like that.”

“Don’t say _we_ as if you represent this city in any way, Na.” 

“Oh, so you know who I am!” Jaemin is delighted. The airbender across from him is decidedly not. 

“Regrettably,” He answers. He has finished his dumplings and is getting up to leave. 

Jaemin only got halfway through his plate, too occupied with trying to get the boy’s attention, but he throws down a couple of bills and follows him to the door anywayss. 

“So, if you know who I am,” He rushes out, “You know that I can help you.” 

Never had he enjoyed someone raising an eyebrow at him more. “Help me with what exactly?” 

“I don’t know. You won’t tell me. But it must be something important, since you came here and all.” He’s bullshitting this as he goes. “I’m just saying that if you need someone who knows their way around and can get you places fast, I’m your guy!”

More narrowed eyes. A truly concerning frown line between two eyebrows. A long suffering breath. 

“Huang Renjun,” The boy says, turns around and walks out of the door. 

Jaemin blinks after him for only a moment before his body bolts into motion. Renjun is already standing beside his car, looking for all the world like he would rather be anywhere else. Jaemin can work with that. Jaehyun once said that Jaemin is like a particular tick-headed stray cat, you feed him a crumb once and he will spend the nights whining under your window until you buy him a collar a scratch tree and make him the sole focus of your life. Jaemin doesn’t think he’s asking for much. 

“So,” Jaemin chirps conversationally as he stops at a red light. “What top secret government mission are we on, here?” 

“Maybe we just ran out of eggs at the temple,” Renjun huffs. 

“Oh, please. They wouldn’t dispatch one of their only airbenders for _eggs_ this has to be important.” 

He can feels Renjun’s gaze on him, and a short glance to the side confirms that it is amused. Jaemin cheers internally, as Renjun asks: “Who are _they_ exactly?”

“The government?” The silence that follows is judgemental. “Councilman Qian?” 

Renjun scoffs. “Kun isn’t the boss of me.” 

“So who sent you here?” 

“... Kun.” 

Jaemin suppresses a laugh. “Okay, so Councilman Qian sent you to get eggs?” 

“I really shouldn’t be talking to you about this.” 

“Well, you’re in my car, and have accepted my offer to help you, so I think I need at least some kind of information.” 

“Kun said— “

“I thought Kun wasn’t the boss of you?”

Renjun sighs, and it sounds threatening. Jaemin is briefly concerned, until Renjun huffs: “The Avatar is missing.”

Jaemin takes a left. “How does a whole Avatar go missing?” 

“That’s what I said!” Renjun exclaims, sounding agitated but reigning himself in when he continues: “They think he ran off. Or he was kidnapped.” 

“How would someone kidnap him, I thought his identity was protected and everything?” 

“Personally I think it’s more likely that he ran off. The whole protected identity thing is very useful for going under the radar in the city.” 

Jaemin nods as he mulls it over. “Whose idea was that anyways? Seems a little redunant.” 

They stop at a cross section. When Jaemin looks back to Renjun, he is, once again, being glared at. “It was my grandfather’s idea,” He answers, tone miffed. “To keep the new Avatar safe until they are ready.” 

“Okay, with all due respect to Avatar Sicheng, but… didn’t he literally run off as well? And that’s why he got stuck somewhere for a century? Nobody thought to pay attention to that with the new one?” 

“My grandfather ran away _because_ he wasn’t ready!” Renjun argues. “... Admittedly there seem to be holes in his plan. Fact is: Avatar is missing and I’m the poor sucker who has to find him because apparently I don’t have anything better to do.” 

Jaemin nods slowly. “That’s kind of badass, though.” 

“Come again?” 

“The Avatar is pretty important. You could say the balance of humanity and the spirit world is in your pretty little hands right now.” He puts the car back in motion. 

“You could,” Renjun relents, sounding somewhat pleased with Jaemin’s assessment. “But if you ever say something like that again, I will steal your car.” 

Jaemin laughs as he pushes down on the accelerator. “Sure thing. Where to, by the way?” 

Renjun stays silent for a moment. He sounds highly suspicious when he asks : “Where have you been driving until now?” 

Jaemin shrugs with one shoulder. “Just taking the scenic route. The sunset is exceptional by the bay.” 

“You did get the part where I’m supposed to be looking for the most important person in the world?” 

“Sure did. Hence my asking _’Where to?’_ ” 

“Well, I don’t know where he is!”

“Okay,” Jaemin nods. “Let’s look at this differently. If you were the Avatar, where would you be?” 

Renjun only groans in reply and thumps his head against the seat. 

“I don’t know what we’re working with here,” Jaemin says in his defense. “Nobody knows anything about that guy! Do you even know what he looks like?” 

“They showed me a picture.” 

“Great, that’s a start. What’s his name?” 

He can feel Renjun narrowing his eyes at him. “Didn’t they tell you that in school, or something?” 

“Do you want me to believe that a real person is named Haechan?” 

“He might as well be,” Renjun argues, again. Jaemin finds that he likes the sound of Renjun’s voice when he’s arguing with him, there’s something very melodic about it when it isn’t dripping in apathy and sarcasm. “He’s the Avatar!”

“His parents didn’t know that when they named him.” 

“I don’t know his real name!” Renjun relents, his voice a note higher with agitation. 

Jaemin throws him a wide grin. “You could’ve just said that.” Before Renjun can curse him to death, he adds: “So, we’re looking for a dude around our age, only one of us knows what he looks like and we know virtually nothing else about him, not even his real name.” 

After a moment, Renjun says: “Yeah, pretty much.” 

Jaemin turns his grin on the road. “Wonderful! Let’s catch an Avatar!” He calls and speeds up. 

* * *

“What do you mean _picking up your cousin_?” Renjun asks. Jaemin still has an easy smile on his face, the same one he had the whole afternoon. Briefly, Renjun had found himself growing used to it, but now he is back to wanting to put his fist through those perfect teeth. 

“I mean picking my cousin up. And her date. From their date.” Jaemin repeats. “And because I’m not a douche I will also drop said date off at home and then we should get dinner because I’m literally starving.” 

“Jaemin we have an _agenda_ here— “

“ _You_ have an agenda. I am merely your driver. I’m not even getting paid a living wage, I think we should at least take a break.” 

“I don’t need to pay you a living wage,” Renjun grumbles. “You’re, like, the richest teenager in this city.” 

“Yeah, that’s true,” Jaemin laughs as he pulls up in front of a brightly lit restaurant. 

Only a moment later, the door to the backseat opens and two girls shuffle in. 

“Good evening, ladies,” Jaemin sing-songs. “Had a pleasant get-together?” 

“I got her to try the escargot!” One of them yells excitedly. From the frightening qualities of her grin and the pricetag Renjun would guess on her jewelry, she guesses it’s Jaemin’s cousin.

“She tricked me into it and I hated every second of it,” Corrects the other one. “Who’s your friend?” 

“I wouldn’t call us friends,” Renjun throws in. 

Jaemin sends him a quick pout, but to the girls he says: “This is Renjun, my business partner. Renjun these are Hyunjin and Heejin, they are very recently in love, it’s disgustingly cute.” 

“Shut up,” Hyunjin hisses, but through a sly smile. Meanwhile Renjun can see Heejin’s cheeks turn slightly pink in the rearview mirror. 

“What do you have a business partner for?” She hurries out, obviously trying to change the subject. 

“Very important and classified business,” Jaemin replies easily. 

“Are you dealing drugs?” 

Jaemin throws his cousin a disapproving look. “Please.” 

“How exactly is this business, anyways?” Renjun asks this time. “What are you getting out of this?” 

Jaemin _winks_. “Your company?” 

From the backseat, Renjun can hear a concerningly realistic gagging sound, then Heejin’s laugh. 

Renjun doesn’t get to share his own noise of disgust, because Jaemin has turned back to the girls through the mirror. “Am I taking you to the arena, Heejin?” 

“I sure hope you are,” She gives back. “I have to feed the cat.” She holds up a bag of what Renjun assumes to be leftovers. 

“You’re giving your cat escargot?” Renjun asks. 

“Well, I’m not gonna eat it myself.” 

“Aren’t your brother and your friend home?” Hyunjin chances. 

“Probably,” Heejin nods. Then, with a wide smile she adds: “But they’re dead to me.”

Renjun turns around in his seat to grin at her. “So you might as well feed them the evil rich people food.” 

She lifts her eyebrows and points an approving finger at him: “I like the way you think, business partner.” She holds up the bag again. “Want anything?” 

Renjun shakes his head. “Don’t eat meat,” He explains, gesturing to the blue tattoos on his hands. 

Heejin’s eyes grow big as she leans forward. “You’re an airbender!” She exclaims. “I never met one!”

“Well that’s not surprising,” Hyunjin quip. “There’s like three.” 

“Four, actually,” Renjun corrects. 

“This is so cool,” Heejin gushes. There is something like childlike excitement in her eyes. “I have so many questions, I always wondered about certain techniques, and stuff. I mean, there’s books, lots of theory, but _the real deal_ — “

As Renjun struggles to follow her onslaught of words, Jaemin cuts in: “Heejin is a pro-bender. She’s a little obsessed.” 

“She’s not obsessed,” Hyunjin argues. With a smile to Heejin, she continues: “I think it’s cute.” 

“See?” Jaemin whispers theatrically in Renjun’s direction. “Disgusting.” Louder he says: “Heejin, we’re here.” 

Heejin makes no move to leave the car. “I’m a firebender,” She explains to Renjun. “And I’ve thought about it a lot, I think certain airbending techniques could be super beneficial for firebending, and vice versa. Me and my brother have worked on some routines that— “ 

“Heejin,” Jaemin cuts in again, not unkindly. “Do you want to go home or do you want me to go around the block again?” 

Heejin frowns. “I suppose I should check that Seol is still alive,” She admits. 

“Your brother?” Renjun guesses. 

“His cat,” Heejin corrects, but doesn’t dwell on it. “I don’t wanna steal Jaemin’s business partner, but if you’re ever in the city again I would love to talk to you about this.” 

“Actually,” Jaemin falls in. “We’re done for today.” 

Hyunjin perks up at that. “We can all just hang out a bit at your place! I’ve never seen it!”

“It’s not like it’s anything special,” Heejin retorts. “But if you guys want to…” 

And that’s how Renjun finds himself sitting in a strangers loft, on a very soft couch, with a very soft cat purring on his lap. It had been the only living being in the apartment when they arrived, but Heejin didn’t seem particularly bothered by it. 

There was tea, and Heejin has been chewing his ear off about moves and techniques and style for a small eternity now, and Hyunjin and Jaemin have been trying to recreate certain moves Heejin talks about in the center of the room, clearly knowing nothing about bending. 

Renjun is having fun. Heejin thinks her brother and roommate are probably fine and just ran off somewhere. Renjun thinks the same about the Avatar. He hasn’t had a night off temple duty for as long as he could think. He didn’t even get as much as a hint about the Avatar’s whereabouts all day, so frankly, he thinks he is allowed to take a small breather like this. 

“Actually,” He is saying to Heejin, “Not all of airbending is super elegant. My brother once yawned and— “ 

The door behind them opens with a loud creak and in step two boys. The first thing Renjun notices about the first boy, slightly taller with black hair, is that his cheeks are flushed a bright red. He doesn’t think it’s that cold outside. The second thing he notices is the boy’s hand falling away from where it had been holding another one the second he takes in the people gathered in the living room, and that sort of explains the flush. And as Renjun’s eyes follow that second arm upwards to a second face, the third thing he notices is that he _knows_ said face. 

In his surprise, he completely loses track of the story about Chenle he was about to relay to Heejin. He only vaguely registers a short conversation where Heejin informs the new arrivals of their additions in company for the evening and her slightly judgemental question of “Where have you _been_?” as well as her offering the leftovers she had vowed not to let them have. 

“Renjun?” Jaemin asks to his left. 

It gives him the attention of everyone else in the room. 

“Are you alright?” Heejin asks. 

Renjun turns to her, and with absolutely no infliction in his voice whatsoever, he says: “Your brother’s boyfriend is the Avatar.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tune in next time when we join our hero on his totally-not-a-date with jeno and reveal what happens after his identity is revealed! all new LEGEND OF HAECHAN whenever i can be assed to write it, only on nickelodeon!
> 
> if you have any questions or concerns you can find me on twt @aangult or cc @fullstar


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